2015 has been another exciting year in Casa Trandafirilor (House of Roses). In October the family was completed with the arrival of Ionica. With six residents the house is now at full capacity.
Ionica is a young man of 22 years old who has been known to the Myosotis team since he was little and had been abandoned in hospital. After years of neglect he was fostered for several years but when he reached adulthood he was placed back in state care as he has learning disabilities. Although living in better conditions than our youngsters in the Camin, Ionica was still not receiving acceptable care and with a space available in Casa Trandafirilor it felt right to take him. Although Ionica is new to the family they have many shared experiences and the youngsters have made every effort to welcome and include him. We have not yet met him but have been told he is a loner and tends not to become involved in many of the activities. Hopefully this will change in time as he settles in.
Although excited at the arrival of Ionica we also feel very sad as this means there is no longer a space for Mona, or any other Casa Linda youngsters. Over the last year it became apparent that Mona was not suitable to live in Casa Trandafirilor as her needs are very different from the others. She has been in an inappropriate relationship with an older married man and was going to live with him but fortunately they split up before this happened. Mona is an extremely vulnerable and naive young lady and this was a worrying situation. At present she is still living in the children's orphanage (despite being an adult). She has visited Casa Trandafirilor and we hope this relationship will continue so that the Myosotis team can offer her support and guidance.
George, who joined Casa Trandafirilor last December has settled in well. Linda and Mike visited in September and it felt as if he had always been there. There have been some issues with his behaviour, and he has outbursts of anger and frustration where he can damage things (but never hurts others) but this is happening less often. Alex, the manager, also feels that he has a bad influence on Irma as she covers for him if he has done something wrong. But this is normal behaviour in our opinion so not a major problem! With a more active lifestyle and better diet George has lost some weight which is great. Even better is that the dose of the psychiatric medication he was put on in the Camin has now been halved. We feel it is totally inappropriate medication and hope it will be stopped completely in time.
Razvan, who has serious liver damage due to Hepatitis B, continues to be monitored carefully and he remains stable. The medics have decided that he is not a suitable candidate for drug treatment. Ionut, who also has Hepatitis B, is being considered for treatment. The others have now been vaccinated against Hepatitis B.
Ionut has also seen an orthopaedic surgeon about his leg which has caused him problems since he was little. He had surgery while in Casa Linda but it was ineffective and he continued to walk with a limp. That leg is now very wasted and the doctors think it is worth trying a specialised orthopaedic boot before any surgery is considered. Poor Ionut has also had problems with his teeth and now has a few gaps following dental treatment.
Irma and Geta are healthy! Irma recently needed new glasses and Geta is delighted that she can hear so much better with her current hearing aids.
There is a busy schedule of activities in Casa Trandafirilor all aimed at maximising the development and independence of the young people. They start the day with housework, including cleaning the bathrooms, mopping the floors, sorting out the animals etc. They take it in turn to help with the shopping and cooking. Irma can now go to the local shop alone to buy simple items and can prepare and cook some meals independently.
In the summer they are busy in the garden growing fruit and vegetables. They have also created a lawned area making outside activities, and relaxation, more pleasant. In the autumn they go to the market and buy produce which they prepare, bottle and store in the cellar for use over the winter. While we were visiting they also picked the grapes and crushed them to make a delicious juice.
As well as practical things the youngsters also have a wide variety of educational, craft and art activities. In the summer these take place outside under the shade from the grapevines.
The full time staff, Alex, Elena and Lidia are helped by several student volunteers. Socialising and knowing how to behave with different people and in different situations is an important skill. Regular outings to events happening in the town and occasional days out all help with this are thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.
This summer the family had a very special treat as they went on holiday to the seaside for a few days. They were given the choice of what sort of holiday they wanted and choose the seaside as they remembered past holidays there. Everyone had a great time and it was a memorable week.
The young people in Casa Trandafirilor have enjoyed visits from various people from the UK this year. All the reports back are that people feel very inspired by their visit and can't wait to go back. Casa Trandafirilor is such a happy place and the family such fun to be with. Linda and Mike spent four wonderful days there in September and this time reconfirmed the importance of the project. The Myosotis staff are doing a great job and the standard of care is exceptional.
There has been an increase in state funding this year as the authorities acknowledged they had underpaid and have been paying back pay. But this still only covers a small portion of the costs and the support we receive from Humanity at Heart is invaluable in sustaining the project. Thank you.
RAKE is proud, and committed, to supporting Asociatia Myosotis in providing a full and meaningful life for six very special young people.
Romanian Appeal Killearn England
21 Woodhouse Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 5NA
01273 420803 rake@rake.org.uk
Charity Reg.Number 1055378
